Day 24 - Theft of Services

May 28^th

            As I was posting last nights blog, sitting at a picnic table in the high school playground at eleven o’clock at night, a police officer pulled up next to me, rolled down his window and informed me that if I was using the unlocked internet network from the high school, which I was, that I could be charged with a misdemeanor classified as “theft of services.” There are now laws preventing people from taping into radio waves that we cannot prevent from traveling through our bodies. I laughed. After agreeing that it was a silly concept, the nice officer drove away satisfied that he had done his job. 

Day 23 - Practice Humility

May 27^th

            “On the occasion of every accident that befalls you, remember to turn to yourself and inquire what power you have for turning it to use.”

                                    - Epictitus

I’ve discovered the role Dave is going to play in my life… He doesn’t realize it, but he is going to teach me humility.

            The path to my goal is potholed with difficult lessons. My sword is humor, my steed persistence – keeping my eye on my destination I cut through the trivial impasse with laughter. I can only trust when I achieve my goal I will be a better person for having had the pleasure of vaulting the hurtles along the way.

 

Day 21 - Finally Floating

May 24^th

            My first experience with the Vestige in the water was spent in the engine room… plugging a hole with my finger. It’s not uncommon that there are kinks to work out when putting a boat back in the water after five months on a dry dock. My job was to watch the engine and report any abnormal leakage. Not two minutes into our trial run I came across a hole gushing oil. It wasn’t just dripping – oil was pulsating into the bilge. So like the doctor’s assistant I stuck my finger into the wound to stop the bleeding. Luckily that was the only leak… from the position I was in I wouldn’t have been able to spare any more fingers.

            Some of the events at the Crab Festival are like none I’ve ever seen. They used to have seal skinning competitions – but they decided killing baby seals might not be the best way to… well, I’m not sure why they decided to stop – I don’t think they stopped out of humane intentions. But some of the other events are still very engaging. I watched dozens of people submit themselves to the icy waters of Alaska in the survival suit race. People gathered their teams of four, raced to get into their suits, plunged into the water and swam a hundred yards to a raft. The high school swim team won with the best time over crews of fishermen and even the coast guard rescue swimmers. But this event wasn’t just for the adults or young adults… there was a team of three young girls with their mom who ranked in the top five best times – with a more positive attitude than the big boys about being in the frigid water. The race continued even with a thousand pound sea lion that positioned himself between the racers and the raft while checking out the action. He glided effortlessly around the swimmers, who looked like floating orange marshmallows, but soon lost interest and left.

Day 19 - Life Without Internet

May 23^rd

            The 50^th anniversary of the Kodiak Crab Festival started yesterday. I indulged in a large plate of king crab legs for 15 dollars. They were quite good – I ate too much and got a horrible stomachache.

            Tomorrow is our launch date… FINALLY! I’ve learned so much about this boat. I know where everything is and how it works. It fought us every step of the way; little projects turned into careers. I’m ready to be in the water – where I’m sure I’ll learn a lot more.

            There is deckhand culture in Kodiak who only have two things in common; they’re in Kodiak to fish, and they’re not from here. But everyone seems to get along, joined together by Alaska. 

Day 16 - First Night on the Boat

May 20^th

            Last night was my first night on the boat, which is still in the dry dock. I’m surprised how comfortable I was. It helped that I was tired and stayed out with some friends a little later than I should have. I’m much closer to down town Kodiak on the boat – which is very nice, I feel more like a tenant than a guest. Dave had a few bikes laying around that he never uses anymore, so I cleaned one up, and it has become my faithful transportation.

            After spending a couple weeks in Alaska, my definition of t-shirt weather has changed… A nice sunny day to break out the t-shirts and shorts peaks at about 50 degrees. But springtime has finally arrived in Kodiak – blue skies and budding trees.

            The people here in Kodiak are friendly… and some of them very backcountry. There are plenty of four-wheel drive ATVs, guns, trucks, Christians, and the occasional racist slip. Their favorite stories to tell are about hunting trips or crazy neighbors. But that’s only one end of the spectrum. Kodiak is a place where people come to find what they couldn’t find where they were before. The average residency is about seven years. Which creates an amazing amount of diversity for such a small region. All the stereotypical political and social groups can be found here, but they’re ignorant of, or chose not to acknowledge each other – live and let live. Everyone has created their own perfect world that revolves around themselves – without being egotistical or selfish.

The sun stays out longer each day. When I tried to look up the sunrise and sunset times I found out dawn starts at 7:15 pm even though the sun doesn’t rise until 5:30 am… The sun sets at 10:40 pm, leaving in the sky a smoldering blue hue that masks the stars.

            Living on a boat is a lot like camping… I have a generator, but it’s not strong enough to heat water – I just took one of the coldest showers of my life. The generator is powerful enough to charge my computer – which allows me to continue writing this – however; I’m running low on gas…

Day 13 - CAUTION... Learning Curve Ahead

May 17^th

            I started writing something for today… everything I wrote was anti-pessimistic and preachy. What it came down to is I’m being challenged. The universe is conspiring to teach me what I need to learn to become a better human being. I expected this road to be difficult – now I start getting the real lessons.

 

"On the occasion of every accident that befalls you, remember to turn to yourself and inquire what power you have for turning it to use."

-Epictetus

Day 12 - "It ain't rocket surgery."

May 16^th

            If you think you know anything… come to Alaska and you’ll see how much you really know – useful, daily applicable things that we’ve become accustomed to having done for us in "the real world" (as it's called up here).

I’ve been humbled. 

Day 11 - Where Do You Leave Footprints?

May 15^th

            I am so grateful to have so many supportive people in my life. I can’t help but wonder how my life would be different if I didn’t have the support and love from my family and friends. From the bottom of my heart – thank you.

            We’re close to being finished putting the boat back together. There are so many little things that have great importance that need to be done. I’m getting restless; I can’t wait to get in the water and start catching fish.

 

Definition of Vestige… (according to Webster)

Pronunciation: \ˈves-tij\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin vestigium footstep, footprint, track, vestige

Date: 15th century

1 a (1): a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something (as an ancient city or a condition or practice) vanished or lost (2): the smallest quantity or trace

2: a bodily part or organ that is small and degenerate or imperfectly developed in comparison to one more fully developed in an earlier stage of the individual, in a past generation, or in closely related form

 

 

            I haven’t shaved since I arrived here… I'm going to grow out my beard. 

Day 10 - Do What You Love and To Heck With the Rest

May 14^th

            I guess I should answer the question why I chose Alaska. My first reaction is to say that I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. But I don’t have to prove anything. The more honest answer is I’m here to figure it out. After I graduated from Brooks Institute I was burned out on school and photography – I needed a change of pace. I needed an adventure. To kill two birds with one stone, I chose one that would put a few bucks in my pocket. There are probably lots of moneymaking adventures I could undertake that would be a lot safer. The danger appealed to me. It scares the heck out of me too. The ocean is to be respected and never underestimated or challenged. Growing up in urban advertisement saturated areas most of my life I needed to get in touch with the natural order of things… remember what matters. I’ve never had the right of passage to manhood. Our society doesn’t provide that opportunity for young men anymore. This country was founded by men who rode out into the wilderness, staked a claim, built a house, started a family, and made their living. The cowboy is an idealized hero of young boys – looking at this model of a man in advertising and movies they grow up wanting to be as tough as Clint Eastwood. But the society of cowboys is changing… not dead, but very different from what it used to be. My point, and why I chose Alaska… this is my attempt to create a right of passage for myself into manhood. The most difficult part about it is that I have two models for manhood – advertising, and my father. I love my father, there are many traits he posses that I love, and there are some I don’t. So I’m still confused about what my understanding of manhood is really. But rather than dwell on what I don’t know or understand, I choose to move forward, do what I love, and trust that someday down the road I may have a better understanding of who I am right now or who I was ten years ago. I wonder who I’ll be tomorrow?

“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” 

- Joseph Campbell

Day 9 - My First Coveralls

May 13^th

            They’re amazing… Why did I never know about these before? Every little boy should be given coveralls and sent out to play. Mothers should seriously consider buying these for their children – many clothes would be saved. Sure, they may not be the most fashionable clothes, but they make up for that in functionality.

            The sun decided to poke it head out today for short periods. I think the temperature reached the high 50s. But the best part about it was the view… Since I arrived, there have been clouds covering everything – limiting visibility. Today I saw for the first time the snow capped mountains that surround and isolate Kodiak against the ocean. I was amazed by the expanse of Alaska. The horizon stretches out in every direction, never coming to a resting place. There is so much space up here for me to play in my coveralls. 

Day 8 - The Engine Room

May 12^th

            Everyday is a challenge dealing with the weather here. It’s still raining and the temperature hasn’t risen higher than 42 degrees. After living in southern California for four years I’m very happy to have rain again. The unpredictability of the weather keeps me on my toes.

After spending a day under an enormous engine, covered in diesel fuel and engine grease, cramped, sore, tired, I stopped – looked around, checked in with what I was feeling and realized that I’ve never been more high on life than right now, this moment. I’m living in Alaska; making money to travel, take pictures, cruise around the Alaskan coast, and fish! I’m living my dream. And this is just the beginning.

I also learned the importance and functionality of cover-alls… because I didn’t have them. 

Day 7 - The Russians Are Offering the Highest Price

May 11^th

The Russian canneries announced they will be buying red salmon for approximately $1.20 per pound – the highest price in years. And rightly so… salmon season on the entire lower west coast of the USA was cancelled this year, and fuel prices are through the roof. The demand for salmon is up and the expense to catch them is also up – envision abundance for me.

Dave and I drove to a plot of land he owns that overlooks a beautiful bay – eventually he plans to build a house there. It seems everything here overlooks a body of water. It’s hard to tell anymore if it’s a lake of the ocean because there is so much water everywhere.

There was a beautiful beach on our way where we took the dogs for a walk – which entailed letting them out of the back of the truck in the pouring rain and letting them run along with the car as we drove down the beach.

I returned Little Red today (thank god). 

Day 6 - Preparing the Boat for the Long Haul

May 10^th

            We finally got the generator working – it took three days, but we did it. We still aren’t sure why it wasn’t working.

            It’s going to take us five days to get up to Bristol Bay from Kodiak. Salmon season opens June 1^st in Bristol Bay. Our plan is to be there for the opening because the whole season is only six weeks long. We’re still waiting for a third crew member – we have options, but we’re waiting out for someone who has another permit, allowing us to fish with more net and potentially catching a lot more fish.

            I learned today that the cheapest and most reliable insurance policy you can buy for fishing here in Alaska is a survival suit at $400 – a bleak thought. 

Day 5 - Dave "The Skipper" Ure

May 9^th

            I slept in my car again…

Today I met with Dave at his 32-foot boat, “Vestige.” He is Norwegian – and awesome. Nothing about this guy was suspicious. He almost immediately offered me the position on his boat to go with him and one other crewmember (three of us in total) to Bristol Bay to gill net for red salmon, and when we aren’t doing that we’ll be catching halibut. For those of you who haven’t tried getting a job up here on a fishing boat won’t understand how unheard of it is for a green horn to get a job on this type of boat; mainly because those two type of fish are the moneymakers. For the rest of the day we worked on generators and the door to the engine room of the boat, (all my carpentry skills were put to good use). We have a lot of prep work to do, and the boat is still in the dry dock. But we expect to be finished and in the water by the end of next week. I can’t stay on the boat until it is finished and in the water. Dave, the skipper, invited me to stay at his house in the mean time. So now I have a job and free lodging in a really nice house on a lake.

            It’s 10:30 pm – still light out, and my toothpaste is frozen. 

Day 4 - Helpful Deckhands

May 8^th

            Yesterday afternoon while waiting in the coffee shop next to the docks for skippers and phone calls, I ran into a man from Colorado, who is up here in Alaska working as a deck hand. We had a great conversation about life, girls, fishing, travel and everything else. Although much of Alaska is open space where people can get as far away from each other as possible in today’s overpopulated world, there is still a need for human connection and interaction, a very real need to share the lived experience. Human nature seeks validation – “happiness is only real when shared” – as were the famous last written words of the now popular Christopher McCandless. Isn’t that what the Internet is all about – a constant connection between people, even if it is only perceived and not real? We at least feel connected, always able to get in touch with someone, anyone. Maybe that’s what this blog is for me.

            I slept in my car last night. Next to the docks I found a 12-hour parking lot and a 30-day parking lot. The car wasn’t very comfortable… I felt like a circus clown. Even if the car was completely gutted it would still be too small for me to completely stretch out, but I was warm.

            Today I received a call from a skipper named Dave. One of the deck hands he was going to use this year didn’t work out for a number of reasons. He found my phone number on one of the thousand posters I put all over town and called me to see if I was interested in talking a bit. I’m sure he wants to make sure I’m not a crack-head before he lets me on his boat. I’m going to check out his offer, but trust my gut, and if I don’t think everything is alright I’m going to be out of there quicker than a cockroach when the lights turn on.

            Today is my birthday. 

Day 3 - My "Little Red" Suzuki Swift

May 7^th

            To save money, I left the hotel I was paying way too much for, and rented a car from a place aptly named “Rent-A-Wreck.” My little red Suzuki Swift has become my transportation, lodging and portable locker for my gear until I can get onto a boat. 

Day 2 - Job Hunting with Grandpa Yovino

May 6th

Today I had the pleasure of meeting the famed Grandfather Gus. I got a tour of Kodiak from the veteran of the island. We drove to his house situated on a cliff overlooking Monashka Bay. As I stood with Gus looking out at the ocean, I saw the hold the sea had on the man. The respectful look in Gus’ eyes as he watched the current rush past his island, revealed the stories hidden behind those eyes. The icy wind cut at his face.

After Gus treated me to a salmon sandwich for lunch, we drove to the docks. Job-hunting here equals walking the docks and asking anything that moves if they’ll pay you to break your back for them. Everyone tells me I’m a little early, that people aren’t going to start preparing for salmon season for another ten days. The search continues… 

Day 1 - Flying to Alaska

May 5th

I rolled over to turn off my alarm, put my feet on the ground, stood out of bed and doubled over as reality kicked me in the stomach. I quickly assessed what I had gotten myself into – “This is it, I’m really going to do this.” My body was in the moment, it knew what was going on – I had purchased my ticket, made all the phone calls, but my brain was lagging behind, still in disbelief.

My bother drove me to the airport. I had three flights to take before reaching my final destination; SFO to Seattle, to Anchorage, to Kodiak. And I wish I had more to say about it… It was a smooth trip, everything went great, and I met some very interesting people.

So far Alaska lives up to everything I’ve heard about it. I was eating dinner in a small Chinese restaurant in downtown Kodiak while watching Bald Eagles fly by.  

Taking the Leap

I leave tomorrow for Alaska. My flight leaves SFO at 7:30 am. I have a layover in Seattle, then another in Anchorage, and finally I arrive in Kodiak at 3:34 pm. The weather in Kodiak for the next week is 45 degrees and raining. David Yovino has been an amazing help and resource, and I am grateful beyond words for everything he's done for me. 

For the first night or two I'll be staying with David's grandfather, Augustine - who I'm told is an amazing character. He is a retired fisherman. He fished for 60 years back before they used boats with powerful wenches to haul in full nets. He would row his boat out, dragging the net behind him, and haul it in by hand. From what I've heard he sounds like the ultimate Alaskan pioneer. 

Beyond two nights out I have no idea where Im going to stay... no plan. It scares and excites me. Anything could happen - the possibilities are endless. I'm going to keep an open mind and see where the universe leads me.

And thank you to Kurt Rogers, Deanne Fitzmaurice and Thinktank.com for providing an amazing bag that fits my computer and all the camera gear I'm bringing. I feel like I'm advertising for them... amazing bags though :)